After the Decatur City Commission officially unveiled its report last month that showed it had a hankering to annex a square mile of land to its north and east in an attempt to get property taxes under control, Avondale Estates metaphorically cleared its throat. “Perhaps”, the neighboring city said, “we might also like to annex some of that land.”

Townfolk and reporters gasped. Would this be a throwdown (Bobby Flay style) the likes we haven’t seen since the Battle of Atlanta? We have waited anxiously for the next move.

Well, apparently its much friendlier than we had first bloodthirstily speculated. The AJC reports…

On Monday, Rieker and Avondale City Manager Clai Brown discussed annexation with Decatur Mayor Bill Floyd and City Manager Peggy Merrisson.

Under one plan, Avondale would annex commercial property along College Avenue west from its city line, while Decatur would add the businesses along College Avenue east from its current borders.

“It’s been a gentleman’s agreement between the two cities,” said Allan Kirwan, chairman of Avondale’s annexation committee. “It is a natural gateway for both cities.”

Officials in both cities described Monday’s meeting as preliminary and said there are no concrete agreements.

“I don’t know we’re ready to say where it would be yet,” Floyd said. “There is no question, if we’re going to do this, the point of the whole thing would be to have that area be incorporated into either the city of Avondale or the city of Decatur.”

A gentleman’s agreement eh? Quite a cordial reconciliation. Are you sure you don’t want to settle this with pistols at dawn? That would be a hell of a post!

But seriously, regardless of any agreement, residents of a proposed annexation area would have to provide a majority vote in favor come November for the annexation to become a reality.

(And AJC, for the last time…I have not heard the Decatur City Commission say it was “backing away” from annexation. Last I knew they were waiting for an evaluation from the school superintendent before moving forward.)

The other interesting tidbit in this article (if it can be trusted) is the idea originally raised by Commissioner Baskett at the commission meeting about only annexing commercial land and leaving out most residential; thus eliminating the problem of an influx of students.

If that were to occur, it would be a drastic shift from the original plan. We’ll have to keep an eye out for further developments.

CL’s Thomas Wheatley will be crushed.

From Radio/TV Talk on AJC.com…

Veteran meteorologist Flip Spiceland at WXIA-TV is leaving the station after seven years. He was at CNN for 21 years prior to that.

It’s not clear whether it was budgetary or strategic or whatnot. WXIA general manager Bob Walker said they negotiated but couldn’t come to an agreement. Flip has always been a smooth operator on screen and his name is arguably the most memorable in town among broadcasters. Chris Holcomb is going to cover for Flip when he leaves Feb. 27 or 28, Walker said. Then they are going to search for a replacement. Holcomb is in the running.

The station recently lost Blair Meeks to Jackson Spalding PR. It’s unclear how they are going to fill Meeks’ spot.

And Walker said his four “backpack journalists” are doing a great job and have helped WXIA place more people in more places on the streets of metro Atlanta.

Inside the Sprawl wonders if the Brick Store’s investment in Grant Park will ever come to fruition and rattles off a number of rumors as to why things may be held up.

“Rumored completion dates have come and gone, but there still appears to be minimal progress at the location. Now, we have heard rumors that the project may never come to pass. Several reasons are cited. One alleged reason is that dealing with city of Atlanta has proven to be more arduous than originally suspected. Further, unanticipated costs (one of which is an $80,000 grease trap) may have discouraged the current location. Another issue is the complete lack of parking. In a city dominated by cars, the parking issue can be a deal killer.”

Regardless of the reason, pictures seem to show that things are moving very slowly at the location. May I perhaps again suggest looking into the purchase of a certain vacant Decatur British pub that needs inhabiting?? I can’t take anymore “hour” waits!! Seriously, who has a three page waiting list during a tornado warning!?

Sob, sob…I’ll be up the stairs and to the left if anyone needs me.

h/t: InDecatur

Combining my two favorite things: drinking wine and crawling around on the sidewalks of Oakhurst.

From Oakhurstga.com

The 6th Annual Oakhurst Wine Tasting is set to take place on Saturday February 23rd from 4pm to 7pm in the Oakhurst Villiage.

The event is a celebration of the Oakhurst community and will feature wines from around the world as selected by two local Oakhurst residents. Attendees will visit all participating local Oakhurst businesses each featuring a different wine selection to taste.

Tickets will go on sale starting Saturday, January 26th at local Oakhurst businesses for a cost of $20 per ticket.

Businesses selling tickets include:

• Steinbeck’s
• The Universal Joint
• Kavarna Cafe
• Tajma-Hound

Read the rest of this entry »

This recent Washington Post article concerning the disappearance of NYC grocery stores has got me in a Jane Jacobs sort of mood today, thinking about how Decatur’s lack of a foot-friendly grocery store affects our sense of community. (And I apologize upfront to any potential Krogerites out there; I just can’t think of the Kroger on Commerce as accessible to pedestrians. Isolated by a stream of high-speed traffic and a massive cemetery, I rarely think of driving there, let alone taking a stroll to pick up hummus.)

As the article points out, though its often the poorer neighborhoods of our cities that struggle to retain grocery stores, it is also a very real threat for those living in more upscale areas. While poorer areas can lose their grocery stores to declining sales, stores in more upscale neighborhoods can be deterred or torn down as sky-high real estate prices make it harder to turn a profit.

Such is the case in NYC.

But how does that relate to Decatur? Simply put: this could or is happening to Decatur.

While we have numerous options when it comes to grocery stores within driving distance, there still are zilch that are easily accessed by foot. And the clock ticks at this possibility, as property value downtown continues to rise. While we surely are not (yet) a Druid Hills or Morningside in terms of affluence, even in early 2008 a downtown grocery store would be quite an expensive investment for whomever wanted to have a go at it. Especially with other grocery stores in such close proximity. However, I personally believe if done correctly, it would prove a successful and critical addition to a city that prides itself on “community”, but has no common place to shop for the essentials.

Many of us may frequent the Kroger on Commerce or (more likely) drive up Clairemont a short ways to shop at the Emory student-infested Publix at N. Decatur and Clairemont, but its just not the same as having a grocery store we can call our own. Attracting either a Trader Joe’s, Publix or (dare I say) “independent” grocery store to the hub of downtown would go a long way to eliminate the sense that we are becoming just another upper-class satellite city in the metro area full of boutiques that isn’t self-sufficient because we have nowhere to buy stuff we need on a daily basis.

Yes, there are many logistics that would need to be worked out. Like where are we going to put it and how much parking would be provided. But ultimately I think it could be a profitable entity that is a completely necessary piece of the city’s evolution.

But until the day when a developer with the available funds and foresight agrees with me, I will just patiently wait in my pedestrian-friendly, community-oriented city without a grocery store, insanely jealous of those that can pick up fruits and vegetables without ever setting foot in their car.